It is strange, being back.

Her post-f(x) life has been peaceful, contrary to popular belief. Packed her bags, criss-crossed the world, finally landed in the city of angels, where the sun never ceased. Los Angeles.

No one ever questioned her outright - Why LA? Why are you leaving?

Not even Jongin did.

Just a silent nod, laughing a little when Soojung swept her fingers through his army cut hair and straightened his uniform collar. His lips pressed lightly against her forehead as he breathed in her scent, and that was it.

All these years of sneaking out on late night dates in the farthest corners of Seoul and braving the paparazzi had given them a distaste for drama. No excessive promises to wait for the other, no tear-stained cheeks. Just a squeeze on the shoulder and a wave goodbye.

(She needed a change of pace. To her, Seoul is synonymous with endless van rides, chasing (and hiding from) the camera lens, racing the clock during dance practice, and squeezing half-effective naps in between. This lifestyle had been groomed into her ever since she was a little girl. The California sun calms her, gives her a chance to feel anonymous, an opportunity to slow down. Whatever work she does do would be on her own terms.

"Do you ever miss him?" Sooyeon asked once, catching Soojung off guard as the stylist finished preparations for a Blanc & Eclare shoot in the heart of Hollywood. Sooyeon raised an eyebrow. "Not quite sure I believe when you say you haven't contacted him at all these last two years."

Soojung just laughed.

When the photo shoot pictures are released, people are saying that there's an eerie sadness in her eyes that makes her hauntingly beautiful.)

A few months after Jongin's military discharge, Soojung starts throwing everything into boxes and hires a real estate agent. She finds herself back in the hustle-bustle of a life she once left and enters through the back entrance of the company, where Jongin is now an in-house dance instructor when he's not setting up his modeling career.

She's walking down the hallway, suitcase in tow, when a practice room door swings open, obstructing her way. "Sorry, I just -" a voice comes from just inside the door frame. He steps forward into view.

Jongin.

He lets out a surprised chuckle when he registers the sight before him. He hasn't lost the twinkle in his eyes.

"I'm back," is all she can muster, a little out of breath. "I waited for you."

Jongin grins, reeling her into his embrace. "I didn't doubt that for a moment, you know."

She steps away for a second in slight disbelief. "But I said I was leaving."

He nods, pulling her back in. "Silly girl, I know you like the back of my hand, remember?"

(That evening, they return to one of their old favorite restaurants and end the night walking hand in hand along the Han River, the darkness once again shielding them, just as it had been two years ago and the many years before.

It is strange, being back. Like time never stopped. And yet there's a certain newness, the excitement of rediscovering a piece of her heart she'd accidentally left behind in the car-congested streets and high-rise buildings of Seoul.

"Do you miss LA?" he asks.

Soojung makes a face. "I missed you more."

He pretends to choke in disgust, but gently slides their clasped hands into his coat pocket to keep warm. She thinks this is the first time she's smiled this big in a while.

Because as much as Los Angeles is perfect, with its sun-kissed skylines and intriguing novelty, Seoul is where she had fallen in love.)